Devices and methods for placing a call on a selected communication line

ABSTRACT

Devices and methods for placing a call from a mobile device on one of a plurality of communication lines accessible at the mobile device are disclosed herein. After the initiation of a call at the mobile device is detected, an audio prompt is output to the user requesting a line selection. In at least one embodiment, the audio prompt is a voice prompt. After receiving user input identifying the line selection, a selected communication line is identified and the call is placed on the selected communication line. In at least one embodiment, the user input received is voice input.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to mobile devices, andmore specifically to mobile devices that allow outgoing calls to be madeby a user on a communication line selected from a plurality ofcommunication lines.

BACKGROUND

Many modern mobile devices are multi-functional. They may be configuredto allow users to engage in both electronic mail (“e-mail”)communications and telephone communications, for example. Additionally,it is common for a user to utilize a mobile device for differentpurposes. For example, a user may operate a single mobile device toengage in communications relating to both business and personal uses.

Phone-equipped mobile devices may be adapted to accommodate an AlternateLine Service (ALS) or similar service. With respect to these mobiledevices, two (or more) phone numbers may be associated with a mobiledevice, with each phone number being associated with a differentcommunication line. A user may wish to place an outgoing call on aspecific communication line so that when the call is received by areceiving party, the phone number associated with that communicationline will be identified on the receiving party's phone where “calldisplay” functionality has been enabled on that phone. Use of multiplecommunication lines may also be useful for line-specific trackingpurposes (e.g. to facilitate separate billing for long distance callsrelating to business and personal uses).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of embodiments described herein, and to showmore clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now bemade, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile device in one exampleimplementation;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication subsystem component of themobile device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a node of a wireless network;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating further aspects of the mobiledevice of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating acts of a method of placing a callfrom a mobile device on a selected communication line in accordance withat least one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein are generally directed to devices andmethods for placing a call on a selected one of a plurality ofcommunication lines.

In a broad aspect, there is provided a method of placing a call from amobile device on one of a plurality of communication lines accessible atthe mobile device, the method comprising the acts of: detecting when acall is initiated at the mobile device based on input received via auser interface of the mobile device; outputting an audio promptrequesting a line selection after detecting that the call has beeninitiated at the mobile device; receiving user input identifying theline selection in response to the audio prompt; identifying a selectedone of the plurality of communication lines accessible at the mobiledevice from the user input; and operating a communication module toplace the call on the selected communication line.

In another broad aspect, there is provided a mobile device configured toplace a call on one of a plurality of communication lines accessible atthe mobile device, the mobile device comprising a processor, a memory,at least one input device and at least one output device, wherein themobile device provides a user interface, and wherein the mobile devicefurther comprises: a call initiation detection module configured todetect when a call is initiated at the mobile device based on inputreceived via the user interface of the mobile device; an audio promptmodule configured to output an audio prompt requesting a line selectionafter the call initiation detection module detects that the call hasbeen initiated at the mobile device; a line selection input moduleconfigured to receive user input identifying the line selection inresponse to the audio prompt; a line selection module configured toidentify a selected one of the plurality of communication linesaccessible at the mobile device from the user input; and a communicationmodule configured to place the call on the selected communication line.

These and other aspects and features of various embodiments will bedescribed in greater detail below.

Some embodiments described herein make use of a mobile station. A mobilestation generally comprises a two-way communication device with advanceddata communication capabilities having the capability to communicatewith other devices, and is also referred to herein generally as a mobiledevice. A mobile device may also include the capability for voicecommunications. Depending on the functionality provided by a mobiledevice, it may be referred to as a data messaging device, a two-waypager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wirelessInternet appliance, or a data communication device (with or withouttelephony capabilities). A mobile device may communicate with otherdevices through a network of transceiver stations.

To aid the reader in understanding the structure of a mobile device andhow it communicates with other devices, reference is made to FIGS. 1through 3.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a mobile device in oneexample implementation is shown generally as 100. Mobile device 100comprises a number of components, the controlling component beingmicroprocessor 102. Microprocessor 102 controls the overall operation ofmobile device 100. Communication functions, including data and voicecommunications, are performed through communication subsystem 104.Communication subsystem 104 receives messages from and sends messages toa wireless network 200. In one example implementation of mobile device100, communication subsystem 104 may be configured in accordance withthe Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) and General PacketRadio Services (GPRS) standards. The GSM/GPRS wireless network is usedworldwide and it is expected that these standards may be supplemented orsuperseded by Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Universal MobileTelecommunications Service (UMTS), and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB),etc. New standards are still being defined, but it is believed that theywill have similarities to the network behaviour described herein, and itwill also be understood by persons skilled in the art that theembodiments of the present disclosure are intended to use any othersuitable standards that are developed in the future. The wireless linkconnecting communication subsystem 104 with network 200 represents oneor more different Radio Frequency (RF) channels, operating according todefined protocols specified for GSM/GPRS communications. With newernetwork protocols, these channels are capable of supporting both circuitswitched voice communications and packet switched data communications.

Although the wireless network associated with mobile device 100 is aGSM/GPRS wireless network in one example implementation of mobile device100, other wireless networks may also be associated with mobile device100 in variant implementations. Different types of wireless networksthat may be employed include, for example, data-centric wirelessnetworks, voice-centric wireless networks, and dual-mode networks thatcan support both voice and data communications over the same physicalbase stations. Combined dual-mode networks include, but are not limitedto, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) or CDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRSnetworks (as mentioned above), and future third-generation (3G) networkslike EDGE and UMTS. Some older examples of data-centric networks includethe Mobitex™ Radio Network and the DataTAC™ Radio Network. Examples ofolder voice-centric data networks include Personal Communication Systems(PCS) networks like GSM and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)systems.

Microprocessor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems such as aRandom Access Memory (RAM) 106, flash memory 108, display 110, auxiliaryinput/output (I/O) subsystem 112, serial port 114, keyboard 116, speaker118, microphone 120, short-range communications subsystem 122 and otherdevice subsystems 124.

Some of the subsystems of mobile device 100 performcommunication-related functions, whereas other subsystems may provide“resident” or on-device functions. By way of example, display 110 andkeyboard 116 may be used for both communication-related functions, suchas entering a text message for transmission over network 200, anddevice-resident functions such as a calculator or task list. Operatingsystem software used by microprocessor 102 is typically stored in apersistent store such as flash memory 108, which may alternatively be aread-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown). Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the operating system, specificdevice applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarily loaded into avolatile store such as RAM 106.

Mobile device 100 may send and receive communication signals overnetwork 200 after required network registration or activation procedureshave been completed. Network access is associated with a subscriber oruser of a mobile device 100. To identify a subscriber, mobile device 100may provide for a Subscriber Identity Module (“SIM”) card 126 to beinserted in a SIM interface 128 in order to communicate with a network.SIM 126 is one type of a conventional “smart card” used to identify asubscriber of mobile device 100 and to personalize the mobile device100, among other things. Without SIM 126, mobile device 100 is not fullyoperational for communication with network 200. By inserting SIM 126into SIM interface 128, a subscriber can access all subscribed services.Services may include without limitation: web browsing and messaging suchas e-mail, voice mail, Short Message Service (SMS), and MultimediaMessaging Services (MMS). More advanced services may include: point ofsale, field service and sales force automation. SIM 126 includes aprocessor and memory for storing information. Once SIM 126 is insertedin SIM interface 128, it is coupled to microprocessor 102. In order toidentify the subscriber, SIM 126 contains some user parameters such asan International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An advantage ofusing SIM 126 is that a subscriber is not necessarily bound by anysingle physical mobile device. SIM 126 may store additional subscriberinformation for a mobile device as well, including datebook (orcalendar) information and recent call information.

Mobile device 100 may be a battery-powered device and may include abattery interface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries130. Battery interface 132 may be coupled to a regulator (not shown),which assists battery 130 in providing power V+ to mobile device 100.Although current technology makes use of a battery, future technologiessuch as micro fuel cells may provide the power to mobile device 100. Insome embodiments, mobile device 100 may be solar-powered.

Microprocessor 102, in addition to its operating system functions,enables execution of software applications on mobile device 100. A setof applications that control basic device operations, including data andvoice communication applications, may be installed on mobile device 100during its manufacture. Another application that may be loaded ontomobile device 100 is a personal information manager (PIM). A PIM hasfunctionality to organize and manage data items of interest to asubscriber, such as, but not limited to, e-mail, calendar events, voicemails, appointments, and task items. A PIM application has the abilityto send and receive data items via wireless network 200. PIM data itemsmay be seamlessly integrated, synchronized, and updated via wirelessnetwork 200 with the mobile device subscriber's corresponding data itemsstored and/or associated with a host computer system. This functionalitycreates a mirrored host computer on mobile device 100 with respect tosuch items. This can be particularly advantageous where the hostcomputer system is the mobile device subscriber's office computersystem.

Additional applications may also be loaded onto mobile device 100through network 200, auxiliary I/O subsystem 112, serial port 114,short-range communications subsystem 122, or any other suitablesubsystem 124. This flexibility in application installation increasesthe functionality of mobile device 100 and may provide enhancedon-device functions, communication-related functions, or both. Forexample, secure communication applications may enable electroniccommerce functions and other such financial transactions to be performedusing mobile device 100.

Serial port 114 enables a subscriber to set preferences through anexternal device or software application and extends the capabilities ofmobile device 100 by providing for information or software downloads tomobile device 100 other than through a wireless communication network.The alternate download path may, for example, be used to load anencryption key onto mobile device 100 through a direct and thus reliableand trusted connection to provide secure device communication.

Short-range communications subsystem 122 provides for communicationbetween mobile device 100 and different systems or devices, without theuse of network 200. For example, subsystem 122 may include an infrareddevice and associated circuits and components for short-rangecommunication. Examples of short range communication would includestandards developed by the Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Bluetooth,and the 802.11 family (Wi-Fi®) of standards developed by IEEE.

In use, a received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, orweb page download is processed by communication subsystem 104 and inputto microprocessor 102. Microprocessor 102 then processes the receivedsignal for output to display 110 or alternatively to auxiliary I/Osubsystem 112. A subscriber may also compose data items, such as e-mailmessages, for example, using keyboard 116 in conjunction with display110 and possibly auxiliary I/O subsystem 112. Auxiliary I/O subsystem112 may include devices such as: a touch screen, mouse, track ball,infrared fingerprint detector, or a roller wheel with dynamic buttonpressing capability. Keyboard 116 may comprise an alphanumeric keyboardand/or telephone-type keypad. A composed item may be transmitted overnetwork 200 through communication subsystem 104.

For voice communications, the overall operation of mobile device 100 issubstantially similar, except that the received signals may be processedand output to speaker 118, and signals for transmission may be generatedby microphone 120. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems, such as avoice message recording subsystem, may also be implemented on mobiledevice 100. Although voice or audio signal output is accomplishedprimarily through speaker 118, display 110 may also be used to provideadditional information such as the identity of a calling party, durationof a voice call, or other voice call related information.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of the communication subsystemcomponent 104 of FIG. 1 is shown. Communication subsystem 104 comprisesa receiver 150, a transmitter 152, one or more embedded or internalantenna elements 154, 156, Local Oscillators (LOs) 158, and a processingmodule such as a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 160.

The particular design of communication subsystem 104 is dependent uponthe network 200 in which mobile device 100 is intended to operate; thus,it should be understood that the design illustrated in FIG. 2 servesonly as one example. Signals received by antenna 154 through network 200are input to receiver 150, which may perform such common receiverfunctions as signal amplification, frequency down conversion, filtering,channel selection, and analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion. A/Dconversion of a received signal allows more complex communicationfunctions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in DSP 160.In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed, includingmodulation and encoding, by DSP 160. These DSP-processed signals areinput to transmitter 152 for digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion,frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission overnetwork 200 via antenna 156. DSP 160 not only processes communicationsignals, but also provides for receiver and transmitter control. Forexample, the gains applied to communication signals in receiver 150 andtransmitter 152 may be adaptively controlled through automatic gaincontrol algorithms implemented in DSP 160.

The wireless link between mobile device 100 and a network 200 maycontain one or more different channels, typically different RF channels,and associated protocols used between mobile device 100 and network 200.A RF channel is a limited resource, typically due to limits in overallbandwidth and limited battery power of mobile device 100.

When mobile device 100 is fully operational, transmitter 152 may betypically keyed or turned on only when it is sending to network 200 andmay otherwise be turned off to conserve resources. Similarly, receiver150 may be periodically turned off to conserve power until it is neededto receive signals or information (if at all) during designated timeperiods.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a node of a wireless networkis shown as 202. In practice, network 200 comprises one or more nodes202. Mobile device 100 communicates with a node 202 within wirelessnetwork 200. In the example implementation of FIG. 3, node 202 isconfigured in accordance with GPRS and GSM technologies. Node 202includes a base station controller (BSC) 204 with an associated towerstation 206, a Packet Control Unit (PCU) 208 added for GPRS support inGSM, a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) 210, a Home Location Register (HLR)212, a Visitor Location Registry (VLR) 214, a Serving GPRS Support Node(SGSN) 216, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 218, and a Dynamic HostConfiguration Protocol (DHCP) 220. This list of components is not meantto be an exhaustive list of the components of every node 202 within aGSM/GPRS network, but rather a list of components that are commonly usedin communications through network 200.

In a GSM network, MSC 210 is coupled to BSC 204 and to a landlinenetwork, such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 222 tosatisfy circuit switched requirements. The connection through PCU 208,SGSN 216 and GGSN 218 to the public or private network (Internet) 224(also referred to herein generally as a shared network infrastructure)represents the data path for GPRS capable mobile devices. In a GSMnetwork extended with GPRS capabilities, BSC 204 also contains a PacketControl Unit (PCU) 208 that connects to SGSN 216 to controlsegmentation, radio channel allocation and to satisfy packet switchedrequirements. To track mobile device location and availability for bothcircuit switched and packet switched management, HLR 212 is sharedbetween MSC 210 and SGSN 216. Access to VLR 214 is controlled by MSC210.

Station 206 is a fixed transceiver station. Station 206 and BSC 204together form the fixed transceiver equipment. The fixed transceiverequipment provides wireless network coverage for a particular coveragearea commonly referred to as a “cell”. The fixed transceiver equipmenttransmits communication signals to and receives communication signalsfrom mobile devices within its cell via station 206. The fixedtransceiver equipment normally performs such functions as modulation andpossibly encoding and/or encryption of signals to be transmitted to themobile device in accordance with particular, usually predetermined,communication protocols and parameters, under control of its controller.The fixed transceiver equipment similarly demodulates and possiblydecodes and decrypts, if necessary, any communication signals receivedfrom mobile device 100 within its cell. Communication protocols andparameters may vary between different nodes. For example, one node mayemploy a different modulation scheme and operate at differentfrequencies than other nodes.

For all mobile devices 100 registered with a specific network, permanentconfiguration data such as a user profile is stored in HLR 212. HLR 212also contains location information for each registered mobile device andcan be queried to determine the current location of a mobile device. MSC210 is responsible for a group of location areas and stores the data ofthe mobile devices currently in its area of responsibility in VLR 214.Further VLR 214 also contains information on mobile devices that arevisiting other networks. The information in VLR 214 includes part of thepermanent mobile device data transmitted from HLR 212 to VLR 214 forfaster access. By moving additional information from a remote HLR 212node to VLR 214, the amount of traffic between these nodes can bereduced so that voice and data services can be provided with fasterresponse times and at the same time requiring less use of computingresources.

SGSN 216 and GGSN 218 are elements added for GPRS support; namely packetswitched data support, within GSM. SGSN 216 and MSC 210 have similarresponsibilities within wireless network 200 by keeping track of thelocation of each mobile device 100. SGSN 216 also performs securityfunctions and access control for data traffic on network 200. GGSN 218provides internetworking connections with external packet switchednetworks and connects to one or more SGSNs 216 via an Internet Protocol(IP) backbone network operated within the network 200. During normaloperations, a given mobile device 100 performs a “GPRS Attach” toacquire an IP address and to access data services. This normally is notpresent in circuit switched voice channels as Integrated ServicesDigital Network (ISDN) addresses are used for routing incoming andoutgoing calls. Currently, all GPRS capable networks use private,dynamically assigned IP addresses, thus requiring a DHCP server 220connected to the GGSN 218. There are many mechanisms for dynamic IPassignment, including using a combination of a Remote AuthenticationDial-In User Service (RADIUS) server and DHCP server. Once the GPRSAttach is complete, a logical connection is established from a mobiledevice 100, through PCU 208, and SGSN 216 to an Access Point Node (APN)within GGSN 218. The APN represents a logical end of an IP tunnel thatcan either access direct Internet compatible services or private networkconnections. The APN also represents a security mechanism for network200, insofar as each mobile device 100 must be assigned to one or moreAPNs and mobile devices 100 cannot exchange data without firstperforming a GPRS Attach to an APN that it has been authorized to use.The APN may be considered to be similar to an Internet domain name suchas “myconnection.wireless.com”.

Once the GPRS Attach is complete, a tunnel is created and all traffic isexchanged within standard IP packets using any protocol that can besupported in IP packets. This includes tunneling methods such as IP overIP as in the case with some IPSecurity (Ipsec) connections used withVirtual Private Networks (VPN). These tunnels are also referred to asPacket Data Protocol (PDP) Contexts and there are a limited number ofthese available in the network 200. To maximize use of the PDP Contexts,network 200 will run an idle timer for each PDP Context to determine ifthere is a lack of activity. When a mobile device 100 is not using itsPDP Context, the PDP Context can be de-allocated and the IP addressreturned to the IP address pool managed by DHCP server 220.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a block diagram illustrating further aspects ofmobile device 100 of FIG. 1 is shown generally as 300. As noted earlierwith reference to FIG. 1, microprocessor 102, in addition to itsoperating system functions, enables execution of software applicationson mobile device 100. A set of applications that control basic deviceoperations, including data and voice communication applications, may beinstalled on mobile device 100 during its manufacture. Operating systemsoftware and other software applications are typically stored in apersistent store (e.g. flash memory 106) or other store on mobile device100, or on a device coupled thereto. It will be understood that theoperating system, software applications or parts thereof, may betemporarily loaded in a volatile store such as RAM 106. Otherinstructions and/or data received by the mobile device 100 and subjectto processing may also be temporarily stored in RAM 106.

Software applications that are loaded or stored on mobile device 100 maybe implemented as functional components or modules 310. Modules 310interact with various components of mobile device 100. For instance, asshown by way of example in FIG. 4, modules 310 may interact withcommunication subsystem 104, RAM 106, flash memory 108, display 110,auxiliary I/O device(s) 112, keyboard 116, speaker 118, and microphone120. Other auxiliary I/O device(s) 112 may comprise, for example, aheadset and/or an earpiece (not shown), each of which may be a wired orwireless device.

Modules 310 may comprise, for example, an address book module 312, amessaging module 314 (e.g. for e-mail and/or SMS or MMS messaging), aphone application module 316, an alternate line service (ALS) module318, an audio prompt module 320, a voice recognition module 322, a callinitiation module 324, and a line selection input module 326. Whilemodules 310 may also comprise a communication module (not explicitlyshown in FIG. 4) configured to place calls on any one (or more) of aplurality of communication lines accessible at the mobile device 100,one or more communication modules may also reside in communicationsubsystem 104. The functionality of the modules described herein isprovided by way of example only. Persons skilled in the art willunderstand that some or all of the functionality of one or more of themodules described herein may be provided by other modules, and invarious combinations, in variant embodiments.

Address book module 312 is generally configured to allow contactinformation (e.g. individual contact and company names, telephonenumbers, messaging addresses, and other information) to be stored andmanaged. Messaging module 314 facilitates the sending and receiving ofelectronic messages over a wireless network 200 and/or other network.

Phone application module 316 is generally configured to facilitate voicecommunication between the user and other parties, including theplacement of outgoing calls by the user and the reception of incomingcalls on the mobile device 100.

Calls may be placed and received on a communication line specificallyconfigured for voice communications. In certain embodiments, calls mayalternatively or additionally be placed and received on other types ofcommunication lines, including a communication line generally configuredfor data communications, or a communication line configured for bothvoice and data communications, for example. For example, mobile device100 may be configured to provide Voice over IP (VoIP), Enterprise Voice,and/or video phone functionality.

Embodiments described herein are generally applicable to mobile devicesthat provide access to multiple (i.e. two or more) communication lineson which outgoing calls may be placed, as initiated by a mobile deviceuser. Typically, these mobile devices will also be configured to allowincoming calls to be received by the user over the same communicationlines.

In example embodiments, each of the multiple communication lines has adifferent telephone number associated therewith. For example, a user mayhave a business phone number and a different personal phone number. Whena user places an outgoing call on a specific communication line, thephone number associated with that communication line may be identifiedon a receiving party's phone that is equipped with “call display”functionality.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the ALS module 318 is provided to facilitateselection of the communication line to be used by phone applicationmodule 316 for placing an outgoing call from a mobile device (e.g.mobile device 100 of FIG. 1), for example. ALS module 318 is alsoreferred to herein as a line selection module. The line selection module318 is configured to identify a selected communication line to be usedby phone application module 316 on which an outgoing call on the mobiledevice 100 may be placed, based upon line selection data stored onmobile device 100 (e.g. configuration settings that define a defaultcommunication line), and/or based upon input received by the user. Itwill be understood that some or all of the functionality of lineselection module 318 may be provided or otherwise integrated with phoneapplication module 316 or with a different module on mobile device 100.

In accordance with at least one embodiment, call initiation detectionmodule 324 is configured to detect when a call has been initiated by amobile device user based on input received via a user interface of themobile device 100. The user interface may be coupled to one or moreinput devices, such as a keypad or keyboard 116. For example, the callinitiation detection module 324 may be configured to detect when theuser has entered a phone number in a phone application or a keyassociated with a phone number, and when the user has subsequentlypressed a “send” key on mobile device 100 or provided other similarinput (e.g. selecting a “call contact” item or similar “call” optionfrom a menu) to initiate a call from mobile device 100.

After the call initiation detection module 324 detects that the user ofmobile device has initiated a call, audio prompt module 320 isactivated. Audio prompt module 320 is configured to output an audioprompt requesting that the user select a communication line that isaccessible at mobile device 100 for use in placing the outgoing call. Inone embodiment, the audio prompt may be output over speaker 118 ofmobile device 100. In variant embodiments, the audio prompt may beoutput over another output device 112, such as an earpiece or a headset,for example.

In at least one embodiment, the user may be permitted to select theparticular audio prompt to be used for line selection requests whenconfiguring mobile device 100.

In at least one embodiment, the audio prompt may be some type of audiosignal (e.g. one or more beeps, one or more musical tones) that the userof mobile device 100 may uniquely recognize as a request for a lineselection. The specific type of audio signal to be employed may beconfigurable by a user. In one example embodiment, an audio prompt maybe combined with a visual prompt on display 110. In such embodiments,the audio prompt may alert the user that a line selection is required,and the visual prompt on display 110 may also explain that a lineselection is required.

In at least one other embodiment, the audio prompt may be a voiceprompt, which indicates that a line selection is required. For example,the voice prompt may be a recorded, synthesized or simulated voice. Thevoice prompt may ask the user to identify a communication line for theoutgoing call (e.g. “Which line would you wish to use for this call?”).The voice prompt may also ask the user to enter a line number (e.g. 1,2) or to enter some other line identifier (e.g. business, personal).

The use of voice prompts and audio prompts more generally as describedherein, may be useful in situations where a user of mobile device 100 isunfamiliar with the ALS functionality provided by his mobile device 100.For example, the user may be unaware that multiple communication linesare accessible at his mobile device 100 and that a line selection mayneed to be made in order to place an outgoing call. The user of voiceprompts, and audio prompts more generally, may be a particularlyconvenient way to inform the user that a line selection is required. Itis likely that the user will have just placed his ear to speaker 118 (orearpiece or headset) shortly after the user has initiated the call (e.g.by pressing a “send” key or selecting a “call” option).

In the example embodiments described herein, the audio prompt module 320is executed by processor 102 and resides on mobile device 100. It willbe understood that some or all of the functionality of audio promptmodule 320 may be provided or otherwise integrated with phoneapplication module 316 or with a different module on mobile device 100.

After the audio prompt is output by audio prompt module 320, lineselection input module 326 receives input from the user identifying aline selection in response to the audio prompt. In one embodiment, theuser may respond to the audio prompt, which may be a voice prompt orother audio prompt for example, through keyed input by pressing a key ona keypad such as keyboard 116. The audio prompt output by audio promptmodule 320 may have provided an appropriate instruction to the user(e.g. “Press ‘1’ for business, press ‘2’ for personal”).

In other embodiments, in response to the audio prompt (e.g. which may bea voice prompt or other audio prompt), the user input received can behuman voice input provided by the user via, for example, microphone 120.A voice recognition module 322 coupled to line selection input module326 is configured to process the human voice input and determine theline selection (and provide the determined line selection to lineselection input module 326) from the human voice input. The voice inputmay identify any one of one or more line identifiers, such as a linenumber (e.g. ‘1’, ‘2’) or a line name (e.g. ‘business’, ‘personal’), forexample. Voice recognition module 322 may receive the human voice inputfrom the user via microphone 120, an auxiliary I/O device or subsystem112 or other appropriate input subsystem, device, or module. The voiceprompt output by audio prompt module 320 may have provided anappropriate instruction to the user requesting a line identifier (e.g.“Say ‘1’ for business, say ‘2’ for personal”, or “Say ‘business’ or‘personal’”).

The functionality provided by voice recognition module 322 allows theuser to respond verbally to an audio prompt to select a desiredcommunication line. Allowing for voice input to be received at mobiledevice 100 may make it easier (e.g. less physical effort) for the userof mobile device 100 to select a communication line, in contrast topressing keys or navigating menus. In addition, after initiating a callon mobile device 100 and when the user receives the audio prompt,speaker 118 of mobile device 100 may already be near the user's ear, andmicrophone 120 may already be near the user's mouth. Accordingly, it maybe convenient for the user to select a communication line verbally.Action may also be taken without the need for the user to remove mobiledevice 100 from the user's ear.

It will be understood that some or all of the functionality of voicerecognition module 322, line selection input module 326, or both may beprovided or otherwise integrated with one or more of line selectionmodule 318, phone application module 316, and a different module onmobile device 100. In example embodiments, the voice recognition module322 and the line selection input module 326 is executed by processor 102and resides on mobile device 100.

In variant embodiments, the user may be provided with two options: toeither provide user input identifying a line selection by providingvoice input, or by keyed input. The voice prompt output by audio promptmodule 320 may have provided an appropriate instruction to the user(e.g. “Say or press ‘1’ for business, say or press ‘2’ for personal).

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the specificinstructions provided as voice prompts as described herein are providedby way of example only, and may vary in variant implementations. Thespecific type of instructions to be employed may also be configurable bya user or an administrator.

After line selection input module 326 receives the line selection fromthe user input (e.g. using voice recognition module 322 in at least oneembodiment), a corresponding selected communication line accessible atmobile device 100 is identified by a line selection module 318 from thatuser input. A communication module (e.g. in communication subsystem 104)may then be operated to place the call initiated by the user on theselected communication line, as identified by the line selection module318.

In a variant embodiment, mobile device 100 may be configured such thataudio prompt module 320 does not output an audio prompt if mobile device100 has been configured (e.g. by a user or by an administrator) toautomatically place calls initiated by the user on a defaultcommunication line. Where mobile device 100 has been configured toautomatically place calls on a default communication line, the user neednot be prompted for a line selection. In operation, in this embodiment,when a user makes a phone call, the line selection module 318 selects adefault communication line. For example, the default communication linemay be the communication line that was last used to place an outgoingcall. As a further example, a contact for which data is stored in anaddress book managed by address book module 312 may be associated with aparticular communication line (e.g. a business contact may be associatedwith a business line), and that communication line may be the defaultcommunication line that is to be used when an outgoing call is to beplaced to that particular contact. As a further example, a contact forwhich data is stored in an address book managed by address book module312 may be associated with a general category (e.g. family), and thatcategory may have a communication line (e.g. personal) associated withit. That communication line may be the default communication line thatis to be used when an outgoing call is to be placed to that particularcontact. A “global” default communication line may also be defined foruse when a given contact is not associated with a particularcommunication line.

In a variant embodiment, mobile device 100 may nevertheless beconfigured to output an audio prompt, receive user input identifying theline selection and identify a selected communication line on which theoutgoing call is to be placed even if a default communication line maybe defined. For example, the audio prompt may be a voice prompt thatrequests the user to verify that the default communication line shouldbe used (e.g. “Say ‘yes’ if you want this call to be placed on yourbusiness line, say ‘no’ if you want this call to be placed on some otherline”, or “The last line used to call this number was your personalline. Do you would to use the same line for this call? Say ‘yes’ or‘no’”). Depending on the user's response, the default line may be used,or alternatively, a different line selection may be made.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart illustrating acts of a method ofplacing a call from a mobile device on a selected communication line inaccordance with at least one embodiment is shown generally as 400.Additional details of some of the features described below in respect ofthe acts of method 400 have been described earlier in the presentspecification.

In the example embodiments described herein, the acts of method 400 areperformed at a mobile device (e.g. mobile device 100 of FIG. 1) by oneor more application modules (e.g. phone application module 316, lineselection module 318, audio prompt module 320, voice recognition module322, call initiation detection module 324, line selection input module326 of FIG. 4) that execute and reside on mobile device 100. The one ormore application modules need not be implemented in a stand-aloneapplication, and some or all of the functionality of one or moreapplication modules may be implemented in different modules in variantimplementations.

At 410, a call initiation detection module 324 of mobile device 100detects when a call is initiated at mobile device 100 based on inputreceived from the user via a user interface. For example, the user mayinitiate a call by pressing the send key on keyboard 116, or byselecting a “call” item from a menu. In a variant embodiment, the usermay use voice activation commands to initiate the call.

At 420, an audio prompt module 320 of mobile device 100 outputs an audioprompt requesting a line selection after the initiation of a call isdetected at 410. The audio prompt may be outputted over a speaker (e.g.118 of FIG. 1), an earpiece or a headset, for example. The audio promptcan be any appropriate audio signal that the user will recognize asindicating that a line selection is required. The audio prompt maycomprise one or more beeps or musical tones, for example. As previouslynoted, in accordance with at least one embodiment, the audio prompt mayalso be a voice prompt that requests a line identifier that identifiesthe line selection (e.g. a line number such as ‘1’ or ‘2’, or a linename such as ‘business’ or ‘personal’).

In some embodiments, the audio or voice prompt may be accompanied by amessage displayed in a user interface provided by a display (e.g.display 110 of FIG. 1). The displayed message can repeat all or part ofthe voice or audio prompt and may provide other options (e.g. “Pleasesay the name of the line you would like to use: ‘business’ or‘personal’, OR press ‘1’ to use the business line, or press ‘2’ to usethe personal line.”)

At 430, a line selection input module 326 of mobile device 100 receivesinput from the user identifying the line selection in response to theaudio prompt output at 420. In some embodiments, the user may provideinput through keyboard 116. In at least one other embodiment, the usermay provide voice input (i.e. verbally) by speaking into a microphone orsimilar input device (e.g. microphone 120 of FIG. 1). The user mayprovide the input by, for example, saying a line number (e.g. “1” or “2”or “line 1” or “line 2”), a line name (e.g. “business”, “personal”), orsome other line identifier that can be recognized by a voice recognitionmodule 322 of mobile device 100.

At 440, a line selection module 318 of mobile device 100 identifies aselected communication line from the communication lines accessible atthe mobile device, based on the user input received at 430. Inembodiments wherein the user has entered keyed input (e.g. via keyboard116), then the selected communication line is identified based on thekey or keys depressed by the user. In embodiments wherein the userprovides voice input, a voice recognition module 322 processes the voiceinput and determines the line selection from the voice input. The resultof the determinations made by voice recognition module 322 may then becommunicated to line selection module 318.

At 450, a communication module of mobile device 100 places the call onthe selected communication line identified at 440.

As previously noted, in some variant embodiments, mobile device 100 maybe configured to perform the acts described at 420, 430, and 440 only ifmobile device 100 is not configured to automatically place the callinitiated by the user (as detected at 410) on a default communicationline. In other variant embodiments, the acts described at 420, 430, and440 may be performed even if a default communication line may bedefined, but the audio prompt (output at 420) may be a voice prompt thatasks the user to confirm that the call should be completed on thedefined default communication line (e.g. “This number is categorized asa business contact. Do you wish to use your business line for thiscall?”).

A number of embodiments have been disclosed herein. However, it will beunderstood by persons skilled in the art that other variants andmodifications may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

1. A method of placing a call from a mobile device on one of a pluralityof communication lines accessible at the mobile device, the methodcomprising the acts of: detecting when a call is initiated at the mobiledevice based on input received via a user interface of the mobiledevice; outputting an audio prompt requesting a line selection afterdetecting that the call has been initiated at the mobile device;receiving user input identifying the line selection in response to theaudio prompt; identifying a selected one of the plurality ofcommunication lines accessible at the mobile device from the user input;and operating a communication module to place the call on the selectedcommunication line.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio promptis output using at least one of: an earpiece, a headset, and a speakerof the mobile device.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio promptis a voice prompt.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the voice promptrequests a line identifier.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the lineidentifier is a line number.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the lineidentifier is a line name.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the userinput comprises voice input, and wherein the method further comprisesprocessing the voice input and determining the line selection from thevoice input.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input isreceived as keyed input at the mobile device.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the outputting, receiving and identifying acts are performed ifthe mobile device fails to be configured to automatically place the callusing a default communication line selected from the plurality ofcommunication lines.
 10. A mobile device configured to place a call onone of a plurality of communication lines accessible at the mobiledevice, the mobile device comprising a processor, a memory, at least oneinput device and at least one output device, wherein the mobile deviceprovides a user interface, and wherein the mobile device furthercomprises: a call initiation detection module configured to detect whena call is initiated at the mobile device based on input received via theuser interface of the mobile device; an audio prompt module configuredto output an audio prompt requesting a line selection after the callinitiation detection module detects that the call has been initiated atthe mobile device; a line selection input module configured to receiveuser input identifying the line selection in response to the audioprompt; a line selection module configured to identify a selected one ofthe plurality of communication lines accessible at the mobile devicefrom the user input; and a communication module configured to place thecall on the selected communication line.
 11. The mobile device of claim10, wherein the audio prompt is output over the at least one outputdevice; and wherein the at least one output device comprises at leastone of an earpiece, a headset, and a speaker of the mobile device. 12.The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the audio prompt is a voiceprompt.
 13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the voice promptrequests a line identifier.
 14. The mobile device of claim 13, whereinthe line identifier is a line number.
 15. The mobile device of claim 13,wherein the line identifier is a line name.
 16. The mobile device ofclaim 10, wherein the user input comprises voice input, and wherein themobile device comprises a voice recognition module coupled to the lineselection module, wherein the voice recognition module is configured toprocess the voice input and to determine the line selection from thevoice input.
 17. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the user inputis received as keyed input at the mobile device.
 18. The mobile deviceof claim 10, wherein the line selection module is configurable to placethe call automatically on a default communication line, and wherein theaudio prompt module withholds outputting an audio prompt if the lineselection module is configured to place the call automatically on adefault communication line.
 19. A computer-readable medium for storinginstructions executable on a processor of a mobile device for performingthe acts of: detecting when a call is initiated at the mobile devicebased on input received via a user interface of the mobile device;outputting an audio prompt requesting a line selection after detectingthat the call has been initiated at the mobile device; receiving userinput identifying the line selection in response to the audio prompt;identifying a selected one of the plurality of communication linesaccessible at the mobile device from the user input; and operating acommunication module to place the call on the selected communicationline.